NORWALK, Conn. — The Norwalk Senior Center, which operates as a private nonprofit and is one of only a handful of senior centers in Connecticut that isn’t fully funded by a municipality, will hold an open house next week.
The open house for prospective members will take place at the senior center, located at 11 Allen Rd., on Wednesday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to noon and 4 to 6 p.m. and will include food, raffles, and free manicures.
“We are also going to bake cookies, and if people join—this is the first time we have ever done this—they’ll be entered to win a grand prize of a seven-day cruise,” said Beatrix Lane, the center’s executive director.
For a minimum of $40 per year, senior center membership (which runs from July 1 to June 30) provides residents 55 and up with access to “a range of programming” at “a bustling, active senior campus—kind of like a college campus for seniors,” said Lane.
“They’re coming here to play pickleball indoors, take a class, exercise from A to Z, for caregiver and bereavement support, educational presentations, entitlement assistance, fall prevention, hairdressing, and field trips all over Connecticut,” said Lane.
The senior center, which has a membership of close to 2,000 people, also offers “free health screenings, hobbies and games, holiday celebrations, home visits, housing assistance, information and referral, language instruction, language translation, live entertainment, meals, physical exercise, recreation, skill building, socialization, transportation, volunteer opportunities and more,” Lane added.
While membership costs $40 per year (up from $35 last year), seniors can pay more (up to $100 per year, depending on their budget), and “anything over $40 basically helps us keep the lights on so to speak” and “goes toward our operational costs.”
Though being a member entitles a senior to “a lot of free things,” Lane said, membership also includes discounts on services like $10 haircuts and $20 for door-to-door transportation from the senior center to a variety of destinations each month.
The center also offers several free services that non-members are welcome to take part in.
“People don’t have to become members to come here and enjoy our free book-lending library, a lot of the exercise classes are free because I get funding through grants, and that includes Enhanced Fitness, which is hugely popular, and tai chi,” explained Lane. “So, if they don’t have $40, they can still come here and exercise and take advantage of a lot of things.”
In terms of transportation, Lane joked that, with three minibuses and three bus drivers, “I basically run a small transit district.”
While transportation is one of the center’s “pillar services,” according to Lane, the center isn’t able to transport seniors everywhere they need to go.
“If they have dialysis three times a week, that’s a demand we can’t meet, but we take people to the grocery store, pharmacies, limited doctor appointments, field trips all over, with transportation to and from the center Monday through Friday,” said Lane. “It is basically for those folks who can’t afford a car or can’t afford to keep the car insured/maintained.”
Lane also pointed to some “misconceptions” that she wanted to clear up about the senior center, including the fact that it’s not run by the City of Norwalk.
“We are a private nonprofit, and we have been since 1971. We are basically raising over 50 percent of our operational costs ourselves through a number of things,” she said.
“I do that by writing a lot of grants and getting support from corporations, foundations, and individuals,” she continued. “We also do fundraising events, memberships bring in some money, and I have contracts with Stew Leonard’s and ShopRite to bring seniors there, so we get a little bit of funding there.”
According to the senior center director, there are 169 senior centers across the state, but “only about 10 or 12 of them are private nonprofits like we are.”
In terms of another frequent misconception, Lane stressed that the center isn’t a nursing home or assisted living facility.
“When people go by and see ‘Norwalk Senior Center,’ a lot of folks don’t know what that means if they’ve never had an experience of having somebody who went to a senior center in any way, shape or form,” said Lane.
Senior Center Director of Social Services Eva Beau said prospective members would be impressed with the “variety of activities we offer,” adding, “We are an engaged and very active senior center.”
Beau, who will mark 10 years at the senior center next year, said she finds her job to be very fulfilling.
“Just being able to assist with a wide range of benefits and resources like Medicare and SNAP and Social Security, as well as community-based services and support systems like housing, transportation, home healthcare, and nutrition—these are the things that I really love to do,” she said. “All of these resources help seniors maintain their independence and their quality of life and that is something I just enjoy. I love what I do.”
Visit norwalkseniors.org to print a membership application, which can then be dropped off in person (payment can be made with cash, check, or credit card) or mailed to Norwalk Senior Center, 11 Allen Rd., Norwalk, CT 06851.
Call 203-847-3115 for more information.
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